The US biopharma company Beckman Coulter is to consolidate its staff numbers in Ireland following the closure of its Galway plant by expanding its plant outside Tulla, Co Clare to accommodate a further 105 staff.

Last year, Beckman Coulter announced a major blow for Galway by ceasing its operations in the county, resulting in the loss of 140 jobs.

Now, however, according to The Irish Times, the company is looking to turn around its fortunes by expanding its facility in the neighbouring county by 105 staff.

While not formally announced, documents filed with Clare County Council confirmed the planned expansion to the Tulla facility in order for it to increase its production capacity for new products, as well as its existing urine test kits.

Currently employing 315 staff at the plant, the 105 positions being created there will be a mix of staff that lost their jobs at the Galway plant, as well as new recruits.

Following the closure last year, 80 staff were given the option of being redeployed in the expanded Clare facility and a number of them have already made the move.

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The expanded facility will allow Beckman Coulter to facilitate its plan to begin production of its urine testing kits in 2017 with a production estimate of 800,000 by 2023.

‘Very good employer in east Clare’

The documents filed to the council described the development as a “genuinely sustainable business”, before going to say that it will “inject millions into the local economy and sustainability of local, rural and urban economies”.

The company also added that the facility will not harm the surrounding environment.

“The design team has carried out a lengthy environmental assessment of the developments impacts, steered by Inis Environmental to ensure that it will not have any adverse impact on European Natura sites and their interests.”

Meanwhile, East Clare TD Timmy Dooley has welcomed the news, describing Beckman Coulter as a “very good employer in east Clare”.

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As an award-winning editor for Consumer Magazine of the Year 2013, Colm joined Siliconrepublic.com in January 2014 as a journalist covering AI, IoT, science and anything that will get us to Mars quicker.
When not trying to get his hands on the latest gaming release, he can be found lost in a sea of Wikipedia articles on obscure historic battles and countries that don't exist anymore or watching classic Simpsons episodes far too many times to count.